Utilizing the Urban Fabric as the Solar Power Plant of the Future

Abstract The provisions contained in the recently adopted Paris Agreement turn discussions of climate change policy toward the significant challenge of implementation. Accepted objectives of limiting global average temperature increases to “well below” 2°C without furthering climate injustice will require the pursuit of deep decarbonization pathways with infrastructure-scale solutions that are nevertheless capable of retaining the advantages and benefits of decentralization. With the majority of the human population and its activities hosted by cities, implementation must have, as a priority component, the decarbonization of urban life. The implementation challenge is particularly poignant in the urban energy services sector, where conventional infrastructure-scale solutions deepen climate injustice. In this chapter, conventional infrastructure-scale energy production components (i.e., fossil fuel powered power plants) are contrasted with a new solution in the form of the “solar city,” where the urban fabric is reconstituted as a platform for decentralized production of solar electricity at a scale that advances the twin aims of sustainability and justice ( Byrne et al., 2015 , Byrne et al., 2016 , Byrne et al., 2017a ). The comparison is analyzed in terms of the economic, social, and environmental challenges of urban decarbonization.